What do AEC professionals have in common with the people of the Omo River Region in Ethiopia?
Ok, nothing much, really. But what we can learn from them is abundant.
We hear about African tribes all the time. We watch documentaries, and some of us have had the pleasure (and even life-altering experience) of visiting certain African tribes in their own environments. A friend sent me this touching video last week, and it’s been on my mind ever since: The People of the Omo River region, Ethiopia where their bodies are their canvases.
Beyond my admiration for their unique artistic expressions, my life take-away from this video was around these concepts: resourcefulness; synergy; precedents; collaboration, yet individualism; creativity; communication; alternative mediums; multiple facets; and contentment.
For purposes of this blog, I want to focus on the resourceful part. It is my understanding that these glorious ‘paints’ come from their land, nothing else. When you have little more than your family/tribe and your age-old traditions to exercise and occupy yourself, why not do whatever you can with what you are surrounded by?
In the business environment, sometimes firms feel restricted due to a lack of resources (especially smaller ones, or business units within a larger firm). While I can completely relate to this, as a former Business Development Director for many years myself (who sometimes had her budget cut significantly), I also know that with the right attitude and a willingness to stretch creatively, I can do more with my existing resources.
I hope, dear readers, that at a minimum, watching this video will satisfy some armchair traveling bug within you. And even better will be if you are inspired by this tribe to revisit your own resources to see what–out of your existing resources– you could be re-allocating or re-purposing towards better marketing and business efforts.
